Word that Murdoch might make a bid for the newspapers came from the Los Angeles Times and Reuters last week. In those reports, unnamed sources said that News Corp was negotiating with the debt holders of Tribune Co, which owns the two dailies.

Tribune Co is currently under bankruptcy supervision, but could re-emerge by the end of the year if the court signs off on its restructuring plan.

A spokesperson for the Los Angeles Times said that the paper has not retracted its story. Reuters, however, has amended its story after its unnamed source withdrew information regarding Murdoch’s intentions.